[Salem, N.J.] A year ago, Russell Grizzle took the helm of Mannington Mills, a family-owned nearly 100-year-old company that was deeply grounded in tradition and like the rest of the industry, was mired in a painfully slow recovery. His job then and now is to plot a path for the future that includes growth in new markets while at the same time to stay true to the company’s core values.
Today, Grizzle points to the Amtico acquisition as a strategic move that allows Mannington to expand its global reach while enabling it to bring its LVT commercial production onshore.

“We are pleased with the acquisition. LVT is a very, very hot product and we continue to grow our commercial and residential LVT product lines. We are ahead of projections at this point,” he said.
Since then, he has invested his time in overseeing the integration, a job made easier because of careful due diligence before the purchase and company values that aligned with Mannington’s from the start. “That’s been a big help,” he said.
In October, the company announced that both the Mannington Commercial and the Amtico sales forces will carry both companies’ commercial products, including LVT, sheet and carpet tile, using the current Mannington Commercial “Choices That Work” strategy, according to Grizzle. He said that part of the process includes significant product training and education.

The acquisition also brings “clear global advantages” in bringing Mannington product overseas. Products going to the U.K. and Europe will carry the Amtico brand name. “Over there, they have a very strong, well-established brand name. As we look to the rest of the world, we may look to build the Mannington name. We were, for the most part, North America-centric so we continue to look at what we can do in the rest of the world.”
Here at home, Mannington will bring its commercial LVT production onshore to the Amtico plant. “We were 100 percent sourced and are now moving that production to Georgia. We are up and running there,” he said, adding that for the time being the company will continue to source from China, for residential LVT in particular.

Service at home
One of the challenges the company experienced this year as a result of bringing all Mannington and Amtico products as well as sundries to the marketplace — more than 50,000 SKUs — had to do with service.
“During the year, we had some service hiccups that are not our norm,” admitted Grizzle. “We disappointed ourselves with our service issues, but we have put in measures that will actually make us better in 2013. Now that we have fixed those problems, frankly, I think we will be dramatically better in 2013 — better than we’ve ever been,” he said.

As Grizzle makes his mark on the company, he continues to be sensitive to its culture even as he pushes it forward to embrace new changes. One of his personal goals is to communicate better and more often.
“The market is different for Mannington than it’s ever been and we are working to change with it,” Grizzle explained. “Mannington is going to stay the way it is — we are not changing our core values — but we have to face our competition, embrace some ideas so we can get better and that is better for everybody. We have a serious job to do — protect our associate’s jobs and return something to the shareholders so that the company can move forward. But at the same time, we can do it and still have some fun around here. Protecting our company’s culture is very important to me.”
A common theme for Grizzle is continued improvement. He has put a lean manufacturing concept in place to allow the company to run more efficiently and react to both good and bad business conditions.

“We are headed down the path of being able to respond to market indicators up and down quickly without it always having to be about inventory. Our plants are much more responsive to market demands,” he said. “My commitment is that we will continue to try and make ourselves better in 2013 and in every year thereafter. We can make things more efficient and we can still care, do the right thing, control our destiny, work hard, play hard — our four core values. My goal is to get the 2,000 plus associates around the globe doing that better.
“It’s been a lot of fun being part of Mannington, being part of the Mannington culture. It’s getting to know all the people better and getting to know our customers really well,” Grizzle said. “We are all on the same path to accomplish the same goals.”
Mannington’s future
Going forward, Grizzle said that the company is always looking at deals that would fit its portfolio and its culture. But for now, he said, the company still has much to do in finalizing the Amtico integration.
They’ll also be busy with a number of capital projects in the coming year for both equipment upgrades and new product development. “We have plenty of capacity in place to meet the growth. We did not shutter any of our plants. We still have all assets in place and, if you include LVT, we have more assets in place than before the recession hit. We are ready.”
Mannington will be aggressive with product introductions beginning with Surfaces in January — new product in sheet vinyl, the introduction of TruLoc in LVT residential, a sister to the LockSolid line introduced last year, and new lines for both Mannington and Amtico.

“We are excited about our future,” he said. “We expect to continue to stand behind our value proposition — great partnerships, great looking products and world class service.